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Esoteric Path
The Esoteric Paths of Magic are the roads walked by magi within the world. Magic makes up one half of the arts of the supernatural. Spirits make up the world and everything within it, and their essences are bound together by the ineffable laws laid down by Tey’Kor-Akx. Most matter other than the base elements of water, air, fire and earth is composed on the microscopic level of highly complex arrangements of tiny spirits known as facets. The facets most commonly found in living tissue are gaeas (facets of earth), undines (facets of water) and slyphs (facets of air). Even the most basic of animal cells contains countless daemons acting in conjunction with each other to generate life. That which operates within the sacred bounds defined by the Law is the natural. That which lies outside of these bounds is unnatural – that which was not intended to be by Tey’Kor-Akx. Most mortal creatures cannot surpass the Law of Time and alter the course of interactions between matter and energy. Tey’Kor-Akx encoded within the Law the ability of spirits of Air, Cold, Dream, Earth, Fire, Light, Time, Underworld and Water to surpass natural processes should they desire it, but forbade spirits of Darkness from doing the same, knowing that they are the antithesis of existence. Such intervention by spirits as planned for within the Law is termed the “supernatural” to reflect the spirit world’s predominance over the world of Flesh, although the term is also used loosely to include demonolatry and use of perverse magic, both of which fundamentally violate the Law. The degree to which a spirit can exert its will over and above the tenets of the Law is dependent on its level of power. Most spirits under spirit level 4 cannot significantly alter the course of nature outside of their current locale, and those under spirit level 7 must expend great amounts of energy in bringing permanent change to the world. The primordials and Tey’Kor-Akx itself are generally acknowledged to be able to alter the world through their own willpower as they please, so long as their influence does not break the configurations laid down by Time. The supernatural forces of the primordials and their children, the gods, are the means through which mysticism is granted and wielded by mortal worshippers – those sapient individuals who devote their mortal days to the growth of a divinity’s power are often rewarded with rituals that draw directly from the spiritual essence of their deity. This form of supernatural power stemming from religion was preceded by even older religions, however – the Esoteric Paths of Magic. Unlike mysticism, the power of magic does not stem directly from spirits themselves, but from the ability to perceive and eventually manipulate the forces that bind spirits in the world together – the Law of Tey’Kor-Akx itself. When the Law was created, Tey’Kor-Akx knew that in order to stave off relentless hordes of demons, the scaffold of the world must be flexible enough to tolerate various metaphysical stresses – a structure that is too rigid can become brittle and shatter easily. In its infinite wisdom, Time taught its children the limits to which the fabric of reality could be stretched without breaking, and created the first Esoteric Path of chronomancy as an example. The 44 trolls then went on to explore the nature of the world’s scaffolding further, and through their unsurpassed intellect devised four more Paths: necromancy, witchcraft, psychomancy and evocation. The laws of magic were taught to the orcs as sacred oaths necessary for the protection of creation from the wrath of Oblivion, and the Paths became the world’s first religions, vastly more ancient than the churches of gods and dragons that arose thousands of cycles later. The foremost law for the sacred use of the five Esoteric Paths of the Magi was that the threads of reality must never be stretched so far as to break, as this damages the fabric of the world and makes it easier for demons to fray the spiritual tapestry. Those who pervert the intended use of magic accrue malfeasance as a divine punishment from Tey’Kor-Akx, and there are various dire consequences for such a transgression against nature. While the arts explored here briefly cover the old religions of magic and the newer practices of mysticism, there is a third art that will not be covered here – qlippoth, the very blackest of arts perpetrated by the warlocks who have inverted their souls and turned themselves over to Oblivion. These arts will be explored later, but for now all that shall be said is that while the magi stubbornly maintain that qlippoth is a blasphemous perversion of their sacred paths, warlocks claim that in fact their manipulations of entropy are far older than the Esoteric Paths, having been refined within worlds preceding Thaelis-Y'Arda. History of Magic For thousands of cycles before any other sapient species were created, the orcs made use of the Esoteric Paths in even their oldest agrarian societies. Domini were staples of their communities, using their powers for the betterment of their societies by easing emotional suffering, reforming criminals and tending the deranged and insane. Witch doctors also aided in the pairing of mates, the raising of children and the maintenance of good relations with the forests and the creatures contained within, and brewed healing salves for the injured. The Esoteric Path of evocation was originally created for the defence of the world at large. With the focus primarily upon repelling demons which would break through the barriers between creation and the Outer Darkness, later the growing tensions between the trolls and the gods led to the rigorous training of evokers in the practice of banishing all spirits which may come to serve the spawn of the primordials. During the Great Divide, summoners bound many of the lesser gods within rocks, trees and other objects. The leaders of orcish society, even to this day, have always been the chronomancers and the necromancers, who serve as philosophers and judges respectively. Sacred necromancers practised their arts through the use of mirrors, which were created by Nogus. The mirrors used in the practice of necromancy are precisely constructed objects which can be of any size, but must always have a surface of pure, unalloyed silver. The potency of a mirror increases with the consistency of its surface – the more flawless the reflection, the greater the amount of concentrated necromantic energy. The size of the mirror does not matter, although should a necromancer wish to enter the Other Side of the Mirror or call forth hollow trolls, the mirror must be of sufficient size for them to step through. The most reliable way to identify a magus who has violated the morality of Tey’Kor-Akx is to observe their reflection. Malfeasance presents itself as a crackling black aura that grows brighter with the magnitude of a mage’s transgressions against the Law. All warlocks without exception emanate malfeasance due to their inverted souls, and powerful anti-magi are not tolerated within Nogus’s realm, possessing no reflections at all. Most malfeasant magi who are repentant are passed over to the domini for rehabilitation. However, serial offenders who repeatedly transgress against the Law which protects the very integrity of the world, usually profane necromancers, who are known to consort with demons, are given much harsher sentences. The worst offenders are condemned to have their souls carved out and transferred to either the mirror (magi) or a shard of glass (warlocks). The dividing of the evil soul into its seven portions prevents it from being reincarnated, essentially removing the threatening stain of chaos and annihilation from the cycle of life and death. Chronomancy Chronomancy is the oldest magical discipline in the world. Oracles strive to become in tune with the flow of time itself, heightening their awareness of it and learning to manipulate their own flow within it. It is important to note that chronomancy does not allow one to control time itself, but rather to control the passage of objects and people through it. Chronomancy is the guardianship of Time and Order itself - that which keeps reality insulated from Oblivion's Annihilating wrath. Animancy Animancy, or psychomancy, is the discipline of imposing one’s will over the will of another. This is done through vigorous study of the nature of the soul and of the mind, which are fundamentally linked. The sacred laws surrounding the responsible use of this Path are known to be especially strict. Animancy is the guardianship of the mind - that which arises from a soul's mortality - and the staving off of insanity and demonic corruption. Evocation Evocation, or summoning, is the art of manipulating the Lawful threads of the barriers that hold and compartmentalise the world. This allows the magus to call forth spirits from other realms and even to tread into these realms themselves. Evocation is the guardianship of the ancient Pact Primordus made between the spirits and the fleshbound near the dawn of Time. Summoning spells involve the drawing of a summoning circle, which incorporates mathematical symbols written in korakx, the purpose of which is to open the portal to another realm through which the conjured spirit enters the Fleshlands. In addition to the magical symbols, characters inscribed in the language of the appropriate primordial for the type of spirit to be called upon must spell out the primordial’s name as well as the true name of the spirit to be summoned. Most spirits demand tribute for their summoning, the form of which is typically is as follows: Sylphs – specific sonic resonances must be played around the summoning circle, be they musical chords, harmonised chants, the sounds of chimes tinkling in the wind, etc. Other objects such as feathers, the claws and bones of birds, blue diamonds and insect wings are also used to compliment the evocation. Undines – a body of water should be provided for the spirit, be it a well, a large bowl, a pond or lake, etc. In addition, the scales and bones of fish, crab claws, coral, seashells, aquamarine diamonds, sapphires and other objects tied to the oceans are often used to empower the summoning spell. Efreets – a source of intense heat should be provided for the spirit, be it a brazier, torch, lava pool etc. Volcanic rocks, glass objects, red diamonds and smoky incenses are often used as physical components to compliment the summoning ritual. Of all summoning circles, those created to summon efreets are the most likely to incorporate burning candles. Boreas – a source of intense cold should be provided for the spirit. This is usually achieved by freezing water using the Fingertips of Frost ritual. Ice, white diamonds and the bones of tundra creatures are often complimentary to such summoning rituals. It is common practice for the circle to be drawn directly in the snow. Demons – a blood sacrifice should be offered up to the demon, often in a large vessel. More powerful demons require greater and more terrible sacrifices. Black diamonds, obsidian, moonstones and bodily organs are often also used to make the ritual more attractive to the spirits of the Outer Darkness. Angels – A bright light should be provided for the angel. This is often achieved through refracting light through crystals or glass. If the circle is drawn in direct, strong sunlight, that is sufficient for the ritual’s success. Trapping of gold, yellow diamonds and geometric sculptures are often used to compliment the summoning of heaven’s spirits. Gaeas – An offering of fertile soil should be provided for the spirit, be it from a forest floor, a tilled field, or any other natural source. It is often the case that gaea-summoning circles are drawn upon soil itself to fulfil this need. Leaves, animal bones, bark, honey, milk, earthworms, green diamonds and other physical components can aid in the strength of the summoning spell. Inferi – an offering of bone or cremated ash should be provided for the spirit. Such offerings are frequently incorporated into the circle itself. Although difficult, a circle inscribed in iron, silver or carved in stone is pleasing to the inferi as an alternative, and raw metal ore and grey diamonds lend strength to the ritual. Lacuna – No special offering appears to be necessary to summon these spirits, although the mathematics required to draw them forth from the Void are incredibly complex. Spirit Line Time cannot be chosen by an evoker who has an INT score less than 11. Temporal – No special offering is required to summon these time spirits, but each phase of the ritual must take a precise length of time. Ephemeral – A specially created dream-catcher must be fashioned in order to anchor the dreamland spirits to the Fleshlands. and the greatest of these catchers often incorporate purple diamonds. The summoning spells cast by evokers incorporate both the language of korakx (mathematical symbols to open a gateway to another world) and the language of the relevant elder creator of the spirit type to be summoned (the true name of the spirit itself, or the name of the spirit’s elder creator, which summons facets or a random spirit of that type). The summoning rituals cast by the clergy of the divinities use only the language of the relevant elder creator. Again, the name of the elder creator and the true name of the summoned spirit are written within the circle. However, where a magus would write Korakxan symbols to open a portal to another realm, a mystic instead writes the name of his divinity, channelling their power to open the portal. Necromancy Necromancy was the second magical discipline to be perfected into an Esoteric Path and focuses around the energies and Laws surrounding the soul. This allows necromancers to interact with ghosts, and a number of perversions of the art of Nogus have emerged, created by arrogant necromancers seeking immortality. Sacred necromancy is the guardianship of life, death and the mortality of the flesh, that which allows consciousness to persist. Witchery Witchcraft is the most diverse of the Esoteric Paths, dealing broadly with all the natural forces that secretly govern the material world, such as emotions, wildlife and fate. Enlightened witches were originally tasked with preserving the ordered state of nature, but over thousands of cycles many witches have grown bitter and selfish, using their powers to inflict their hatred upon others. Amaranthy is the guardianship of nature - the countless plants and animals that house the innumerable tiniest fragments of the Over-Soul. Profane Magic While any manipulation of the Law can be used in a manner which breaks the code of Tey’Kor-Akx (aiding the followers of the gods, harming temporals, summoning demons etc.), the most deviant and fiendish of rogue magi not only misuse the sacred arts but pervert their very nature, bending reality past its breaking point. The forbidden methods through which the Law may be broken are taught by demons of the Outer Darkness, and these beings are constantly on the lookout for mortals seeking shortcuts to arcane power. Indeed, the now common spells of profane necromancy were developed by arrogant magi under the instruction of warlocks of Oblivion. Every profane spell invoked weakens the bounds of reality, inviting horrid things from the Outer Darkness to encroach upon creation. For this reason, sacred magi will not tolerate those who tread the perverted paths, for it is the defining duty of those who practise the esoteric paths to safeguard reality, not to give the world over to the minions of primordial darkness and entropy that seek to destroy it. The perverse paths of magic fundamentally revert the principles that the sacred paths were designed around. Where the sacred path of animancy was created to heal the mentally ill and soften the blows of intense grief and suffering, profane domination solely works to break the sanity and mental faculties of others, sowing torment, enslavement and social dysfunction. Where the sacred path of necromancy was intended as an art through which the sanctity of death and the soul would be protected, profane necromancy violates the rest of the deceased and forces them to dance to the will of amoral masters. Where the sacred path of evocation was intended as an art through which malign spirits could be banished from Creation, profane evocation grants demons and other horrid things from the Outer Darkness access to the world they were barred from entering. Finally, where the sacred path of witchcraft was meant to facilitate an existence in harmony with nature’s laws, the profane path of thorns allows a magus to harness natural forces and turn them against themselves. Profane chronomancy has never been successfully practised, but the priests of Tey’Kor-Akx consider this to be the grossest violation of the Law that could conceivably be inflicted. The passage of mortals forwards through time requires no trespass upon the turning of the cycles, but to re-live the past would require for the rules of time themselves to be rent asunder. The process by which a window of the past might be wrenched with infinite violence into the present is nigh-unfathomable, as are the dire consequences such a perversion of nature would necessarily entail.